World’s biggest cruise ship draws a sea of admirers

With her garden at sea, onboard surf machines and themed neighbourhoods, she is a long way from the Cutty Sark.

Such splendours on the world’s largest cruise ship drew a crowd of hundreds to the Mayflower Park in Southampton as Oasis of the Seas docked in Britain for the first time.

An £800 million vessel with accommodation for 6,296 passengers and 2,000 crew, she is longer than The Shard is tall, and at 208 feet wide, is larger than the wingspan of a Boeing 747.

The cost of a two-week trip aboard the ship starts at £1,300. Entertainment includes a 750-seat arena, themed “neighbourhoods” including a park complete with boutiques, restaurants and bars, an ice rink, surf machines, a high-diving performance venue and an elevating…